Horringer Court School raises £7,145 for charities in three days

The pupils of any school raising more than £7,000 should be proud of themselves, but it is doubly so for Horringer Court Middle School because it was all their own work.

And they did it in less than three days at the Bury St Edmunds school and chose the charities to benefit.

They did not find out how much they had raised until head-teacher Tanya Joshua announced it in the school’s Carol Service at St Mary’s Church today – £7,145.72 raised by just over 360 pupils.

Each house had one day for a cake sale, a half day sponsored event and a Friday Christmas fair.

Mrs Joshua said: “The staff just stand there and watch while they set everything up. They do the clearing up, too.

“They’ve got to have a stall that makes money so they learn about profit and budgeting. It’s impressive and each year it has raised more.

“Because the children choose they charities, there’s often a personal connection.”

So this year at the carol service, in front of a church packed with family members until there was standing room only, one house presented £1,895.47 to St Nicholas Hospice Care’s Nicky’s Way child bereavement charity.

Another gave £2,288.95 to East Anglian Air Ambulance and the third donated £2961 to Suffolk Mind, the mental health charity.

Margaret Culpin, chair of the school governors, said after the presentation “I feel very proud of the children and their work.

“I’m very proud they have raised so much money for these charities.”